.. MAY-JUNE 2007

Technology Team Wins $100,000 Prize at University of Texas Business Plan Competition

A patented cutting edge optical displacement sensing technique for use in accelerometers, gyroscopes, pressure sensors, temperature sensors and magnetometers claimed the grand prize at the 24th annual Global Moot Corp Competition held at the University of Texas at Austin on Saturday, May 5. Omega Sensors from San Diego State University beat out 34 teams from the UCLA-Berkeley, John Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon and top MBA programs around the world to claim the Global Champion prize.

Omega team members Nick Rhea (left) and Brad Chisum (right)
present to judges during Moot Corp Competition in Austin.

Omega Sensors is an OEM supplier of market disruptive accelerometer technology. Applications include seismic imaging, navigation, industrial monitoring and more. Team members are Brad Chisum and Nick Rhea. Alex DeNoble is the faculty adviser.

Omega Sensors began as a government spin-out from SPAWAR Systems Center. Chisum, a former SPAWAR engineer, enrolled in DeNoble’s course at SDSU to explore the technology’s commercial applications. He identified several promising avenues, so he decided to license the technology from SPAWAR and left to start the new company. Omega Sensors subsequently received prototype financing from the San Diego-based Center for Commercialization of Advanced Technologies (CCAT).

“SDSU and the EMC create the perfect environment for any entrepreneur to develop their business” said Chisum. “I have been allowed to use Omega Sensors as my project for nearly every applicable class I have taken – essentially allowing me to 'practice' having the business and develop a solid strategy before making it into a reality. The feedback from the professors combined with the resources of the EMC gave our team the foundation we needed to succeed at Moot Corp and launch the business.”

The SDSU team will receive a prize package worth $100,000: 1) $25,000 in cash; 2) the Austin Technology Incubator Launch Package worth $25,000 featuring a one year membership which includes strategic business consulting services and mentoring from a team of industry experts, office space, and access to discounted legal, accounting, and businesses services from top tier providers; 3) prosecution of the first American patent by Ropes & Gray worth $25,000; and 4) consulting with the McCombs School of Business entrepreneurship faculty worth $25,000. The winning team will also open the NASDAQ Stock Market on August 10 and their name will appear in an ad in the June 6 edition of Red Herring.

“SDSU has an impressive team of faculty and students who have amazed me with their passion and entrepreneurial spirit,” said Entrepreneur-in-Residence Leonard Lavin who is founder and chairman emeritus of the Alberto-Culver Company. “I congratulate the team for winning this prestigious competition and wish them luck as they start this new venture.”

This year, 35 teams gathered in Austin to compete. The ideas they pitched are as wide ranging as the geographical distances of their hometowns. Teams from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Great Britain, Norway, Thailand and all corners of the U.S. participated.

Omega Sensors was awarded the top prize after a two-day competition that featured 13 international graduate teams and 22 teams from colleges from the leading MBA programs around the U.S. The Finals judges were William Glasgow, Prime Investments; Betty Otter-Nickerson, Lance Armstrong Foundation; Gary Pankonien, Emergent Technologies, Phil Speros, Halsa Pharmaceuticals; and Tracy Taylor, Kansas Technology Enterprise Corp.

The Omega Sensors team was one of the eight division winners in the Opening Round held on Friday, May 4. The 35 teams were narrowed down to ten semifinals that competed Saturday morning in two divisions. The top two teams of each division competed in the Finals Saturday afternoon; less than three hours after learning they had won their Semifinal round.

About the Moot Corp Competition
Begun at the University of Texas at Austin by MBA students in 1984, the Moot Corp Competition is the oldest new venture competition in the world, and it provides MBA student teams with a chance to simulate the real world process of raising venture capital.

Students Honor Their Own During “Future Rising Business Leaders” Ceremony

Six College of Business Administration (CBA) students were honored with the first-ever “Future Rising Business Leaders Award” on April 12. Produced by the SDSU Associated Business Student Council (ABSC), the group presented awards recognizing the top student leaders from the CBA, including five undergraduates and one graduate student and the best of the business student organizations.

To qualify, undergraduate nominees needed to have a 2.5 GPA and have 70 completed units, as well as submit a personal statement, a resume, a list of activities and two letters of recommendation. Applications were rated by a committee on their content, organization, presentation, and involvement with the CBA. The candidates that scored the highest were then invited to be interviewed and the winners were chosen from the interview process.

“This event is another testament to the initiative of our students,” said Gail Naughton, dean of the CBA. “It is wonderful to see how much these accomplished students have done for themselves, their organizations, the community and the college. I have no doubt they will go on to join our other alumni who are successful business leaders.”

The winners are:

Christine Pham, Accounting, who also serves as co-vice president of operations for ABSC and previous vice president of reporting for the Student Accounting Society. She has been an active member of Alpha Kappa Psi since 2004 and was its vice president of public relations in 2005. Pham volunteers her time preparing taxes for low-income refugees and the local community. In fall 2007, she will begin working for the big four accounting firm, Deloitte and Touch, LP. Her nominator said, “Christine has the listening and interviewing skills necessary to extract information from other departments while performing challenging financial assessments.”

John Parilo, marketing department, is co-vice president of operations for ABSC. He is currently an intern at Marcus and Millichap Commercial Real Estate Company and has held previous internships at Maloof Sports and Entertainment and as the marketing, promotions and game operations intern for SDSU’s sports marketing department. Parilo is a member of the American Marketing Association and volunteered for the Katrina Operations Committee. “This candidate is a person of integrity, character, and of great work ethic,” said his nominator. “He is very positive and always exceeds expectations.”

International Business (I.B.) Society Vice President Sasha Shimazu, a second year student with junior standing, was honored as an international business student. Shimazu is an intern at the San Diego World Trade Center and is Vice President of Chapter Operations for Delta Sigma Pi. She is a member of the university honors program and has volunteered at the Special Olympics. Her nominator said, “Sasha is a unique jewel that is determined to leave her mark on the world. She is comfortable tackling difficult situations and takes initiative.”

Finance student, Trevor Britain Mason, is the current president of the Finance and Investment Society (FIS). He previously served as the FIS president-elect and vice president of business and professional affairs. He also is a member of the American Marketing Association and holds a part-time research position with an SDSU investments professor, where he researches the affects of Barron’s stock picks and the finance industry. According to his recommendation, “He is an intelligent, serious and ambitious young man. He is a success oriented individual with a highly developed sense of personal direction and purpose.”

Integrated Marketing Communications student, Stephen Michael Delizo, is a Paramount Pictures intern for Allied Advertising and was previously a special events intern for the SDSU Cross Cultural Center. Delizo serves as the Chairperson for Andres Bonifacio Samahan. He is a member of the SDSU Pride Action Committee and was on Homecoming Court. Delizo was awarded the United States Congress Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition. His nominator said, “Steve consistently demonstrated wonderful leadership qualities, including his ability to motivate others, initiate programs, and take on extra responsibilities.”

The winning graduate student, Liz Drout, is co-president of the SDSU Graduate Business Student Association (GBSA) and was previously their vice president of events. She has held internships with Education Systems, Inc., Second Chance Ben & Jerry's PartnerShop and Hostelling International's San Diego Council. Her recommendation said, "I know her to be an outstanding student both in academic achievement and leadership of fellow students in her working team environments."

Two student organizations were honored as being the best of the business student organizations, the Finance Investment Society (FIS) and the International Business Society (IB Society).

FIS is a professional student organization that provides students who have an interest in finance and investment the opportunity to be introduced to various career opportunities by inviting key speakers from the San Diego business community to share their experience and provide valuable advice for students who will soon enter the workforce.

After only one year, the IB Society has made a big enough splash to compete with SDSU's most established business organizations. Founded in 2006 by Tom McCarthy and Zephan Fischal under the advisement of Marketing Professor Massoud Saghafi, the IB Society is fulfilling its mission as a central resource for SDSU students to integrate into the international business community. The IB Society's last event of the year was a fundraiser held on April 25th at Hennessy's supported by a number of corporate sponsors. The funds raised at the event will be equally shared between the IB Society and the UNISEF.

award winners

guests

Jim

toast

E3 Hosts Generation Green Earth Week 2007

The Enviro-Business Society (e3), a CBA student organization, celebrated with an entire week of “green lifestyle” events leading up to Earth Day (April 22). Dubbed, “Generation Green Earth Week 2007 (aka g2ew),” the festivities included a series of interlinked events where the San Diego community came together for knowledge, entertainment and the exploration of green living.

crowd One of the highlights was the Global Warming Action Summit, which was held in Montezuma Hall on April 18. The summit brought together a diverse range of speakers and showcased opportunities for action in the areas of the environment, business and politics to prevent global climate chaos. Speakers included professors from SDSU; University of California, Irvine; University of California, San Diego; as well as business leaders.

In addition, students held a green film festival, alternative energy exhibits, an eco-fashion show, organic food tasting, a green job fair, an eco-product expo and a beach clean-up event. Each day was supplemented with an entertaining band from a variety of music genres.

e3 President Ian Bevan was proud of the variety of activities the club coordinated for the week. “We had a really good mix of events where you could learn, have a good time and hear some of the most prestigious climate scientists,” he said.

e3 began in spring 2005 and in that short time has grown from 50 to 270 members. It is a student organization promoting modern business practices that combine ecology, ethics and economics; while providing a forum for student networking opportunities, and active grassroots community involvement. e3 equips people with the necessary tools to be active, aware and successful individuals through community outreach, independent projects, and social gatherings. For more information on the group, visit http://clube3.org.

School of Accountancy Honors Students with Scholarships; Ernst and Young Recruits Graduates for China

The School of Accountancy awarded a total of $28,250 in scholarships to students at its annual spring awards banquet April 20 at the Hilton Hotel in Mission.Valley. KPMG Western Area Managing Partner and alumnus Edward Cannizzaro was the keynote speaker. Over 250 students and professionals attended the event. The 22 scholarship recipients were recognized, as well as the Most Outstanding MSA Student by the Federated Schools of Accountancy standards. Recognitions at the banquet also included the VITA participants; graduates with distinction; the Top 20 Awards; BAY Officer Presentation and SAS Officer Presentation.

Earlier in the month, Ernst and Young hosted an information session for SDSU accounting students interested in working in China to promote two new programs – “Ernst & Young Destination: China” and “Ernst & Young: China in your Future.” The first program is a direct hire into their China mainland offices; the second program is a direct hire into their Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Vancouver, or Toronto offices with the student transferring to China after three years.